Elena Manferdini to speak at the AIA|LA Design Conference on June 23rd

Last Updated: June 5, 2012

Who are the design-thinkers evolving the scope of their professional practice?

On June 22 & June 23, we invite you to join us at the upcoming AIA|LA Design Conference to hear leading professionals discuss how design adds value by optimizing a return on investment and improving performance, while at the same time enhancing lifestyles and making places healthier and more enjoyable.

Elena Manferdini graduated from the University of Civil Engineering (Bologna, Italy) and later received her Master of Architecture and Urban Design from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

In 2004 she founded Atelier Manferdini, a design office based in Los Angeles, California. The firm has been highly visible as an advocate of design excellence and has been recognized internationally for its ability to create imaginative architecture, art and objects. The office is based on a multi-scale work methodology and embraces the philosophy that design can participate in a wide range of multidisciplinary developments that define our culture.

Elena Manferdini was recently awarded one of the prestigious 2011 annual grants from the United States Artists (USA) in the category of architecture and design, and her Blossom design for Alessi received the Good Design Award for 2011.

Currently Atelier Manferdini is designing a temporary pavilion for MOCA. This year the firm completed a cruise boat in Kyoto (Japan), a fabric installation for Seika University, two large scale projects in New York and United Kingdom: an interactive installation for Sephora's newly opened scent museum in New York's Meatpacking District, and an "Inverted Crystal Cathedral" art piece for the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery in the UK, sponsored by swarovski. During the last two years the office has been designing a single family villa in Ascona (Switzerland), a 250,000 sq.ft. master plan in Macerata (Italy) including 80 apartments, a museum and an open theater. In 2009 Atelier Manferdini has been selected to design a 150,000 sq.ft. residential tower in Guiyang (China) along with other 10 leading design firms from around the world. The firm has collaborated with internationally renowned companies such as: Swarovski, Sephora, Driade, MTV, Fiat, Nike, Alessi, Ottaviani, Moroso, Valentino, Arktura and Lerival.

In 2006 Ms. Manferdini was invited to design the West Coast Pavilion representing USA at the Beijing Biennale in the Chinese Millennium Museum. In 2008 and 2010, she curated the West Coast USA session of the Beijing Biennale exhibition. She has lectured widely, including at MIT, Princeton, GSD and Bauhaus.

In addition to leading her design practice, in the past 8 years Elena Manferdini has been teaching architectural design studios and technology seminars for the Graduate and Undergraduate programs at the Southern California Institute of Architecture. Currently she is the Coordinator of the Graduate Thesis Program at SCI-Arc.
She has been holding a Visiting Professorship at Cornell University and Seika University.